


A Little Work

by Woofemus



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Friendships, During Canon, F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Gen, Pre-Time Skip, some minor hilda/marianne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 20:43:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21308339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woofemus/pseuds/Woofemus
Summary: Getting assigned stable duty is bad enough, but also having a partner that doesn't even like her? Hilda's got her work cut out for her, and finds that making friends might have her doing some unexpected things too.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault & Hilda Valentine Goneril, Dorothea Arnault/Ingrid Brandl Galatea
Comments: 21
Kudos: 186





	A Little Work

**Author's Note:**

> takes place after dorothea and ingrid's b support
> 
> shout-out to my bud for both this idea and for proofreading, enjoy these disasters

Stable duty.

Could be worse, Hilda thinks. Could have been… weeding. Stuck weeding with the likes of Lorenz for her company.

But horses… always made her think if she tried to feed one, it'd go and take off all her fingers too. Also, first of all, horses smelled. Second of all, the stables smelled. Third of all, horses _and_ the stables combined smelled.

So, Hilda's never really liked them.

Also doesn't help that she's assigned to someone new today. Her new partner must be someone Professor Byleth poached from the other classes. Hilda's certainly never seen them in her class since the year's started.

She's pretty, though, Hilda will admit. Tall, lean, and blessed by the goddess in all the right places. And, by all the accessories on her, a really fashionable person. Not bad, Hilda thinks, not bad at all.

But why couldn't it be Marianne? At least she'd be having a way better time if it had been with Marianne.

"Hi, I'm Dorothea. I don't think we've ever been introduced before," the girl says as soon as Hilda arrives. She's holding out her hand with a smile that doesn't show any of her teeth.

"Hilda," she answers, shaking Dorothea's hand. Her nails are perfectly manicured. Dorothea's such a looker, it's almost a shame they're assigned to stable duty.

"Anyway, but I should let you know right off the bat…" Hilda smiles sheepishly, almost pathetically. It's always worked on Holst. "I really don't know much about horses, so please don't expect too much out of me!"

Dorothea blinks at her. And Hilda notices it, how her smile slips slightly before she catches herself. "Well! Unfortunately, I also don't know the first thing about horses either!"

Hilda wants to pout. So much for trying to push all of her work onto her.

She rolls up her sleeves, sighing loudly. "I guess the faster we do this, the faster we'll finish."

"Probably," Dorothea says, and there's just something about the way she says it that makes Hilda pause, makes her want to squint at her because she's not sure if she's imagining it, but…

"Shall we get to it, dear Hilde?" Dorothea says, and, oh, Hilda's a little more certain of it now, especially when Dorothea brushes past her to head into the stables.

Hilde, though? Not even Marianne's given her a nickname. Hilda wonders if it means anything. She doesn't exactly mind, but she gets the feeling Dorothea giving her a nickname isn't done with the best of intentions.

They get right to work, but most of it is silence, which is _boring_. Hilda's tried to talk to her about fashion but for some reason, Dorothea doesn't really seem keen on answering her or keeping the conversation going. At least, despite all her looks and good appearances, she's willing to get her hands dirty.

So now, Hilda's sure of it; Dorothea's got something out for her. The problem now is what has she even done, and where does she even begin to figure that part out? Who does she need to hunt down and shake for this information about herself?

Dorothea… that name does seem a little familiar now that she thinks about it, but she also can't recall right off the top of her head what about it is familiar. Rumors maybe? Where has Hilda heard her, and what's being spread about Hilda herself?

Stable duty is awful, Hilda concludes.

* * *

"Oh, you're actually here," Dorothea says as soon as Hilda arrives to the stables. They've been given stable duty again for the second time in a row, which, if Hilda had to say, is kinda weird since their professor likes to switch things up, but it isn't as if Hilda can really complain about it without something happening to her like, weeding with Lysithea.

But she doesn't exactly like that tone Dorothea is taking with her right now. "You say that like you weren't expecting me to show up," Hilda says, which is kind of half true. Maybe if she'd been stuck with Lorenz but Dorothea doesn't need to know that.

Speaking of Dorothea, though, now she's sort of remembering where she's heard of her. Granted, she had to do some snooping around (thanks Caspar!) to jog her memory a bit, but she recalls everything, and all the rumors she's heard. If Dorothea wants to play this game, then Hilda can too!

"Same for me too, kind of thought you'd ditch me to go flirt with some pretty boy," Hilda says offhandedly.

Dorothea doesn't say anything back, but Hilda can see the way she clenches her jaw and the small rise of her eyes. Normally, Hilda doesn't like going around provoking people because that's a bridge she'll need to fix later, but there's just something about Dorothea that makes her want to do it.

"Maybe I'll just do that next time and leave all the work to you since you seem to be doing a good job here," Dorothea says with a bright smile that feels vaguely more threatening than anything else Hilda's ever seen from her. And it sounds more like she'll do it out of spite rather than actually finding some boy to hang out with.

Hilda can't believe she's starting to think she'd rather have Lorenz working with her at this point. Maybe she should just stick him here anyway and have them deal with each other. With his funny ideas about nobility and commoners and Dorothea's sharp tongue and wit, something explosive is definitely going to happen.

It'll at least be better than everything that's happened so far anyway.

* * *

The third week isn't… quite as tense, but still no less… well, a sort of mess. They say hi to each other, roll up their sleeves, and get right to work without another word. Oh, she really should've asked Raphael to take over for her, he would've been more than happy to do it!

A shame, Hilda thinks. She thought she'd found a kindred spirit for a sense of fashion in Dorothea, but now she's not even sure of why she's been treated so… disdainfully.

At least today brings a welcome surprise.

"H-Hilda?! Oh, you're… you're here."

Hilda immediately whirls around, beaming as soon as she hears that lovely voice. Good thing she didn't bother Raphael today! "Marianne! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!"

Marianne shrinks a little but she doesn't step away like she normally does, which, score for Hilda, because it means she's not getting as scared. It makes her smile even wider.

"I… um, wanted to come by and check on Dorte…" Marianne looks between her and Dorothea, who's now watching her as well. "Hilda… if you're… on stable duty, I… um… do… d-do you want me to help you take over? I know working with animals isn't… isn't your best thing."

Oh, Marianne is just so _sweet_ to offer. And, well, Hilda actually does contemplate accepting, because Marianne's way with animals is absolute _magic_—

Until she's aware of the stare burning holes at the back of her head.

Dorothea is a master of subtlety, Hilda will give her that. She's looking quite disinterested right now, but Hilda knows her eyes are like a hawk—well, considering her previous house, maybe more like a normal eagle with one head instead.

But Hilda's not _that_ heartless of a girl to just leave someone like Marianne out here by herself. In fact, she's bristling a little at the way Dorothea is looking at her so accusingly, as if she's expecting her to go ahead and do it.

Well, Hilda's going to prove her wrong!

"Oh, Marianne, you poor thing, I couldn't do that to you!" Hilda reaches out and takes one of Marianne's hands, clasping it with both of hers. "But I'm so flattered that you would ask."

"O-oh…" Marianne ducks her head but there's no hiding the small blush that comes across her face. If Hilda's being honest, she rather likes seeing it. "B-but, um… I still want to… help out at least. Is… is that fine? Or will I be too much trouble?"

"Marianne, you could never be too much—"

A loud whinny tears through the air and both of them whip their heads to find Dorothea with eyes wide open in fear as a horse rears up. Without any other warning, Marianne quickly rushes in.

Like some sort of weird animal aura Marianne's got, the horse immediately calms down the moment she comes near. Her eyes soften and she reaches out, patting its snout. "Um, horses are… easily frightened, so please don't… take offense."

"No, that was my fault. I wasn't paying attention and…" Dorothea shakes her head. "I'm glad you were able to calm him down before anything happened."

"I'm… I'm glad too," Marianne says quietly. Then she freezes, looking at Dorothea in fright. "O-oh! I'm… I-I'm sorry, I… I don't want to get in your way… please…"

"No, of course not, you're not in my way. In fact, I'd love for you to show me how to get the horses to like you, I've been trying for so long!"

"O-oh! I, um, you… you can't be scared, because horses… they'll, um, run at the first sign of danger…" The horse nickers as it moves against Marianne's hand, sniffing. It makes Marianne giggle (it's _such_ a cute sound, Hilda thinks), and she reaches into a pouch tied on her waist. "But once you get used to them, horses can be so… kind. Food can always help you, although some might get a little greedy…"

Here, Marianne takes out a handful of seeds and holds them up to the horse, which it happily takes. When the horse moves away to snort, Hilda's honestly all amazed when Marianne's fingers are still left intact.

"Incredible! You're so good at this." The smile Dorothea gives Marianne is sincere, which brightens Hilda too. If Dorothea was going to be mean to Marianne, then that would have been absolutely unforgivable!

Marianne stays and gives them some tips and pointers on how to deal with the horses, which are the most helpful stuff Hilda's ever learned since, well, ever. She leaves after a while—or, well, Hilda shoos her away to go enjoy the rest of her afternoon because she doesn't want Marianne to be stuck helping out when she could do something like get all the _relaxing_ Hilda wants to do.

"So… Marianne?"

Hilda freezes in place. She's not liking that tone Dorothea's taking, and she hates that a little part of her face feels warm right now.

"Marianne's just the sweetest gal around. How could anyone possibly say no to her?" Hilda doesn't add that she had once and she found Marianne buried under a whole mountain of books in the library and that was when she knew she could never leave her alone after that.

"Uh huh." Dorothea is totally unconvinced, a smile twitching on her lips. "Right."

Oh, Hilda's going to get her back for this.

Yet, somehow, for all of Dorothea's knowing looks, this week's stable duty isn't so bad.

* * *

Sometimes, though, Hilda wonders if she's getting divine punishment from the goddess right now. What else could it be, being assigned to stable duty for a whole month, and with _Dorothea?_ She's really considering charming some oblivious boy into taking over her duties for, well, the next _year_ at this point.

Although that isn't to say Hilda dislikes her—Hilda hasn't met anyone else even quite as fashionable as Dorothea, but she gets the feeling that Dorothea doesn't feel the same about her.

Maybe if she made a cute little charm for Dorothea, that might win her over. Alright, Hilda's got a plan! After she finishes making some cute bracelets for the other girls in the Golden Deer first, though.

Hilda's just so curious about Dorothea though. She's heard rumors, but she'd rather prefer not to trust them since some of them sound downright nasty about her. And, well, she's sure Dorothea's heard rumors about her too, and she'd at least like to change her impressions.

"Hey, Dorothea? Can I ask you something?"

"Hm?" Dorothea turns her head from where she'd been feeding a horse at a stall on the opposite end of her. "What is it?"

"Just wondering, why are you _really_ here at Garreg Mach?"

Hilda sees the way Dorothea suddenly tenses. If this were Marianne, she would've been coiled to spring right on out of there like a startled horse, but this is Dorothea, and it makes Hilda think she's more like… like a tiger being prodded.

"Well… haven't you heard the rumors?"

"What, you mean they're true?" Hilda takes this time to move down a stall to feed another horse.

Dorothea doesn't say anything, which means Hilda has to draw her own conclusions. So she thinks about how Dorothea dresses herself, why all the rumors get spread in the first place, and Dorothea's status—she's a commoner with nothing to her name, but she's a songstress from _the_ Mittelfrank Opera company, which means she's also got tons of prestige and fame… but if the other set of rumors Hilda's heard, it means she's gotten into Garreg Mach by tricking some noble into sponsoring her here.

After being stuck on stable duty with her for the last three weeks, though, Hilda's got a different impression of her now, and she gets the feeling that Dorothea's only _forcing_ herself to do this, not because she wants to. It's kind of sad, but who's Hilda to judge her?

"So, find anyone then?" Hilda asks instead.

Dorothea seems surprised by the sudden change. "Are you really so curious to know?"

"Yeah! Just asking though because it seems like none of the boys here really seem like hot stuff, don't they? I mean, they're all full of hot air, at least." Hilda twirls strands of hair around her finger, and then promptly stops when she remembers exactly _what_ she's been cleaning. Oh, she so needs a shower later!

And she gets a rare sound from Dorothea, which is a chuckle. "You've certainly got that right. I only need to find one man that's tolerable, and yet…"

They share a look, and the both of them laugh. Dumb boys, really.

"How about someone from our class? Think any of our boys look good?"

Hilda waits for Dorothea to answer, but, strangely, she doesn't hear anything. When she looks over, Dorothea seems a little lost in thought, and she's absently reaching out to pet the horse—oh, it's a pegasus, now that Hilda gets a look at it. And if Hilda thinks about it, hasn't Dorothea been standing a little too long in front of that one?

"Maybe in a few more years," Dorothea only says, and finally moves onto the next stall. "Well, since you're so curious about me, allow me to return the favor. Why are you here at Garreg Mach, Hilde?"

Hilde. Dorothea insists on calling her that, but it sounds less… patronizing than when she heard it the first. It's kind of a cute nickname, she guesses. Wonder if she'll be able to get Marianne to call her that. But back to Dorothea's question.

"My brother thought I wasn't being too serious in my duties and made me enroll. I love him, but what a fiend, my brother!" Hilda makes the most overexaggerated sigh she can make.

"My, how aggravating," Dorothea says, and Hilda thinks _that's_ aggravating.

"It doesn't matter what I accomplish here anyway, won't even compare to the name Holst's been making for himself," she mutters. "Just gonna be stuck as Hilda, little sister of Holst, that other child of Goneril! Ah, well, that's life for me, I guess."

Dorothea sends her a look, but Hilda pretends not to see it. She doesn't really want to see what sort of face Dorothea is making anyway. Compared to everyone else, her cares don't seem so heavy like some of their peers, but Hilda's fine with that. Just trying to get by in life by her own merits, she thinks that's good enough for her too.

They go on with stable duties in silence.

But it doesn't quite feel that bad anymore, Hilda thinks.

It hasn't been.

* * *

There's no stable duty this week.

Normally, Hilda would be more than ecstatic at the thought but there's tons of children after they've come back from Remire and Hilda thinks she wouldn't be able to concentrate on chores.

A break is nice.

* * *

Things go back to a normal schedule next week, which means more stable duty for Hilda, fun. Another week off would have been nice, but pushing it.

"Ah, Dorothea? You're here?"

Hilda's crouched down in one of the stalls when she hears a new voice in the stables. She barely peeks her head out from over the stall, and there's someone else there, standing next to where Dorothea is.

Hilda squints at her. Long, blonde hair tied back into a braid. She's also kind of familiar, but also not. Maybe their professor took someone else from the other house again and Hilda didn't notice. She's been getting the feeling that their classroom's been a little full lately.

"Oh… Ingrid, what a surprise to see you here." Dorothea laughs, but it's awkward and forced. Hilda can tell.

Oh?

_Oh?_

What's this?

"I'm on sky watch with Claude today. I came here to get my pegasus."

"Ah… of course." Dorothea sounds strangely out of breath, like she's... so flustered, thrown off center.

"Then… if you could excuse me..."

Hilda peeks over the stall, just in time to see one of the pegasi being led out. Wait… Hilda kind of recognizes that one. Or, well, she recognizes that exact stall, if she's being honest.

It's the one Dorothea likes to feed.

"Stay safe up there," Dorothea calls out. Ingrid turns and nods to her.

"Yes of course. You too," she returns, and then pauses, realizing what she's said, a blush coming onto her face. "Ah, wait, not that I meant here in the stables is unsafe, but, uh, horses can be rather finicky, please be careful not to spook them."

Dorothea laughs, and Hilda can tell that sounds a little genuine. She's listened to Dorothea enough times to figure this out. "I've been assigned to stable duty for the last few weeks. I know just how bad they can be. I'll be fine."

"Ah… right, yes." Ingrid awkwardly nods. "I'm sorry for presuming. Excuse me, then." And just like that, she leaves, Dorothea watching her go.

Gears start turning in Hilda's mind, everything clicking in place. Oh, does she understand now, does she really understand now. It isn't that Dorothea hasn't found a guy yet…

But really, the forlorn way Dorothea stares after the other girl as she leaves really clinches it.

Hilda waits for a moment longer before she shoots up from where she'd been totally not hiding. "So? Something happen—"

Dorothea whirls to her and screams.

"Whoa! It's only me!"

But all the other horses start neighing and rearing up—oh, this is a _disaster_.

It takes them a while to calm them all down, with some help from passing knights, and now it's the two of them in the stables again. So much for the stables being safe.

"Sorry, I… forgot you were there for a moment," Dorothea says, embarrassment all over her face.

"Sorry old Hilda here isn't so interesting as," it takes her a hot second to remember, "Ingrid." And Hilda tries not to grin when it seems like Dorothea gets a little more flustered. "So? What's going on now? Something between you two?"

"It's… it's none of your business," Dorothea says testily, which really means it's all of Hilda's business.

"I mean…" she gestures out to all the horses around them, "I bet even they could tell you that you're both kinda awkward."

Dorothea gives her a flat look, but Hilda's undeterred. _Something's_ happened between them, that much is true, but what could it be? Whatever's happened, Dorothea obviously isn't happy about it.

So Hilda tells her as much. "I don't think you should sit around and mope about it, though. Er, well, stand around I guess."

"Excuse me?" Dorothea frowns at her, and Hilda only shrugs.

"From that little conversation, even _I_ could tell the two of you were so _awkward_. The longer whatever it is you're both doing goes on for, the harder it'll take to fix, right? That's like, extra effort you'd need to take than if you just marched right up to her right now and… uh…" Hilda says the first thing that comes to mind, "blurt out your feelings."

Dorothea's face turns red, and Hilda tries not to grin. Of course she was right about that!

"It's… it's not that easy as you think it'd be."

"Oh, sure," Hilda says. "Ingrid seems kind of agreeable," she really doesn't know that but she hopes she is, "so if you're her friend, I'm sure she'll listen to you."

"It's… it's not that." Dorothea sounds tired, which means she must be giving in. It'll be a good push, Hilda thinks. Just one more dig…

"C'mon, why don't you tell her instead of standing here making faces when she comes—"

"Because she's not interested in girls!"

For the first time in her life, Hilda is at a complete loss at what to say. She wants to argue, but there's something about the way Dorothea says this makes Hilda realize Dorothea is probably talking through a firsthand experience.

"... oh," is all Hilda can manage.

Hilda's always teased Holst about his crushes when they were younger, always encouraged him because what was the point of keeping stuff like that bottled up? Confess, get an answer, and move on. Easy!

But in this case, what is someone even supposed to say? Hilda... doesn't know the answer to that.

Dorothea looks away and heads for the exit. "I… I'm sorry, I need a break right now."

She doesn't come back, not that Hilda expects her to.

* * *

There's no stable duty next week, or the next, which Hilda thinks is a blessing. Never mind about things being awkward around Dorothea and Ingrid, things are now _awkward_ between the both of them now, and to be stuck on stable duty together with no way to run? Hilda really might have sucked it up to ask Claude to fill in for her then.

No stable duty, but even more things happen. On what feels like a really nice day off, with the sun and birds chirping in the morning, Hilda spies their professor along with Ingrid and Dorothea inside the classroom. Instantly, Hilda's curiosity is piqued and she tries to see what's going on inside the classroom.

Professor Byleth seems worried, which is really just her brow pulled together, Ingrid herself seems frazzled and also on a higher degree of worry than Professor Byleth, and Dorothea's… well, Dorothea looks readily determined, and way less worried than everyone else because she's mad. Make sure to never get on Dorothea's bad side, Hilda thinks, until she realizes she's already failed that. Whoops.

Still, whatever's happening looks serious, and Hilda feels like this is something _big_ and she's not going to want to miss out. Unless it involves battle, then maybe she'll just coincidentally have an upset stomach right at that moment.

She steps into the classroom, and tries not to scream when all their heads whip to her at the same time. That's a little creepy.

"Uh… seems like something important going on here. Mind filling in Hilda?"

All three of them share a look. "We should ask the rest of class for help," Professor Byleth says which doesn't answer Hilda's question at all. Ingrid looks as if she wants to protest before Dorothea quickly nods.

"Yes, that's a good idea. There's really no idea of what sort of underhanded tactics he might try, I don't want Ingrid to be left out there by herself."

Ingrid still looks torn between protesting but she slowly sighs and nods her head. 'I'll… I'll come with you, Professor. It might be better if they hear it from me."

Professor Byleth and Ingrid leave, with their professor glancing back and forth between her and Dorothea, and now they're the only two left alone in the classroom.

… it's kind of awkward given they haven't seen each other since their last time on stable duty, but Dorothea's really agitated, so maybe she won't mind if Hilda sidles up to her, eager to hear what's got everyone's so rattled. "So? What's with all the urgency?"

"A suitor asked for Ingrid's hand in marriage but I know him from my days in the opera, and he gave me a terrible feeling. I don't feel safe leaving Ingrid to herself with him so we're going along with her." Dorothea reaches up to fix her hat, which Hilda thinks didn't look like it needed fixing in the first place. "I've got a really bad feeling, and I've learned to trust my instincts."

Hilda nods. "So now we're all gonna get to go and kick his butt?"

Dorothea smiles thinly. "Well… let's just hope it doesn't come down to that."

Except it does come down to that. Inside the worst place possible.

"I don't know about you but intercepting us inside," Hilda gestures to all the lava around them, "_here_ gives me the feeling he might not be prime marriage material."

"Really." Hilda can not only hear but also _feel_ the unamusement just rolling off of Dorothea from where the other girl is sitting behind her in the saddle of Hilda's wyvern. It makes Hilda laugh to herself before she focuses in front of her.

They've been given orders to scout ahead, with Leonie and Felix following behind them on Leonie's horse (it's more like Leonie is sort of keeping up, Felix is adamant his feet are just as fast as a horse's hooves even though he's leagues behind) as extra back-up. Hilda doesn't think they need it, it's really only _scouting_ not fighting an army they're doing. Meanwhile, Professor Byleth and Ingrid are advancing down the other path, trying to get Ingrid to safety as fast as possible.

"Why are you doing so much for her anyway?" Hilda asks since they're stuck up in the sky together and she's kind of bored and wondering about it. "She won't think of you the same way." And that's a little unfair, Hilda thinks.

"Because she's in the same situation as me... forced to marry for wealth to secure her future. And, you see how she is, she's rather… naive when it comes to matters of the heart. I don't want her to be taken advantage of, which she will be, because of her Crest."

"If she must marry someone, it should be a person of respectable character," Dorothea finishes.

That's funny, because Hilda thinks Dorothea's plenty respectable enough (not that they should be getting married _now_.) It's even a little noble, for Dorothea to think this way. Way better than some actual nobles she knows, like herself.

Hilda's never been a self-sacrificing person like everyone else is trying to be, though, so she doesn't really understand why Dorothea's so willing to go through so much trouble for one gal.

They continue to soar through the air, eyes scanning all around. Leonie and Felix aren't completely behind them anymore, which alarms Hilda a bit, who tries to scan where they are. She finds them dealing with another small group of mercenaries, and she thinks about flying back until she sees Felix easily breaking a sword with his own and Leonie running circles around them on her horse as she shoots them with a bow. They'll be okay, Hilda thinks, and continues ahead.

Hilda turns around—Dorothea's staring holes into her back instead of looking around the battlefield. A thought hits Hilda, one she voices aloud. "Hey, Dorothea… are you afraid of flying?"

Dorothea's arms tighten. "I'm… I'm just not very good with animals," she rushes out, and now Hilda's putting together the pieces of another puzzle. No wonder why she's always seemed so hesitant in the stables.

Hilda has her wyvern descend a little, not that she thinks Dorothea notices. They soar for a bit, until Hilda sees something strange ahead of her from her high vantage point.

"Hey, close your eyes," Hilda calls out.

"W-what for?!"

"I'm gonna go down really quick!" and Hilda waits for a few seconds before she forces her wyvern to swoop down. The wind and Hilda's ears suck in Dorothea's scream.

"What was that for?!" Dorothea's rightfully angry, but Hilda quickly dismounts, ends up hobbling for a bit because Dorothea's scream is _still_ ringing in her ears, before squinting off in the distance. She can see the merchant, and then there's someone else she hadn't noticed before. Then there's… another person, and a fourth?

Huh.

Hilda points out ahead of them. "I think that merchant guy's trying to get reinforcements. Looks like there's _still_ more people coming in."

Dorothea follows her finger. "Oh… you might be right. We should report back to the professor—"

Another thing catches Hilda's attention out of the corner of her eye. Someone looking at Dorothea, an arrow flying—

"Look out!"

"What are you—"

The arrow impales her side.

It isn't like she's never been hit by an arrow before, but _oof_, it still doesn't get better with each time. She stumbles backward, falling against her wyvern as her hands try to press on her side to hold the blood. It's wet. Hilda doesn't want to think about that.

She watches Dorothea instead, who lets go a beam of thunder magic from her hands before she whirls on her feels to collapse next to Hilda.

"Oh, Hilde! Why did you do that?!" Dorothea clicks her tongue as she pulls free the arrow, and Hilda yelps in pain before gritting her teeth.

"Hold still!" Dorothea curses under her breath as her hands glow. The healing magic washes over Hilda but she can tell that Dorothea isn't that experienced with it, because she can see the sweat rolling off Dorothea's face, and how pushed together her face is in intense concentration. She doesn't really look like Marianne who seems to do everything so gracefully, or even Lysithea who still has the time to chide her while working her healing.

The magic fades after what feels like hours. Hilda does feel a lot better, but she could still see another healer probably, or at least maybe hope it won't get infected. The bleeding's stopped, which is a more than good thing. Dorothea is swiping the sweat off her brow with her arm, panting. Hilda's not sure who looks worse at this point, her, or Dorothea.

"This sort of magic isn't… isn't my best, I'm sorry," Dorothea says, and she does look really sorry and also beating herself up for not being able to do more. Hilda knows, because she'd be feeling the same in that situation. "Why did you even do that?!"

"Don't… don't think much about… about that…" Hilda says weakly, shaking her head. "Just… just would rather not see… my friends getting hurt if I can help it…" She rises to her feet, which she realizes is a really bad idea when her head spins from all the blood rushing up and also her wound deciding it wants to sting even worse now. "It's… normal… stuff that happens in battle, no biggie."

Dorothea immediately takes one of her arms, helping her to her saddle. Hilda grabs a vulnerary from one of the bags on her wyvern and rubs the mixture all over her wound. It's not much, but it'll help not get it nasty and infected. In another bag, she takes out a small flask she keeps around for times like these and drinks it all down. Holst always said it made him feel numb and helped him keep going on the battlefield.

"But only use it in emergencies!" he warned her. "It's very potent!"

Well, this seems like an emergency enough!

Ignoring the ache in her side, Hilda climbs back up onto her saddle. The pain won't compare to the satisfaction she'll feel smashing up all those dumb mercs trying to take away a girl against her will. Already, she feels the pain being dulled to something more like an annoying itch she can't, or shouldn't, scratch. "Alright, so we're gonna go after him—"

"No! You're injured, Hilde! We're turning back. Felix and Leonie are—"

"What?!" Hilda wishes she hadn't heard right. "Oh, come on! I'm more than fine! I'm still able to ride in this saddle."

Dorothea doesn't budge and she's already turning around. Hilda tries another angle. "This suitor is after Ingrid, and the Goddess knows he'll never treat her right if he gets his hands on her! Doesn't that make you mad? Don't you wanna go wild?"

Dorothea stops walking and looks at Hilda over her shoulder.

"I…" Hilda can see Dorothea struggling with herself until she looks down at Hilda's wound. "But you're hurt—"

"Don't worry about me! This is our chance! We can't just let this guy get away like this!" Hilda holds out her hand.

Dorothea's still hesitant, staring at her still. Hilda continues to hold out her hand, a grin on her face. Truth be told, flying off into more danger while she's hurt when she _can_ go back to find a healer is most likely the last thing she should be doing, but making someone pay for this arrow stuck in her sounds like a way better idea right now. Hilda's honestly not sure why she's going so far like this in the first place, but the thought of letting this terrible guy get away really grates on every last one of her nerves. 

"C'mon, this guy's trying to kidnap Ingrid, don't you think he deserves a real beating?" Hilda tries, and _that_ manages to finally rouse something other than uncertainty in Dorothea, her eyes flashing with anger.

Dorothea finally comes back to take Hilda's hand. "Don't push yourself any more than you're already doing."

"Haha! Me? Pushing myself?" Hilda grins. "Just for today, consider it a special service from me. In return, clean up my side of the stables next time."

Dorothea rolls her eyes but there's a smile twitching at the corner on her lips. "Alright, deal."

In seconds, they're flying up in the sky, and then it hits Hilda how crazy her plan is.

Maybe this might not be the best idea ever. It's the two of them by themselves out there while their main group is back there. Just the two of them, and her wyvern. 

But Hilda's got an extra sharp axe, and Dorothea's so full of magic at her fingertips, and they've both got an overflowing well of righteous women fury and maybe sometimes that's more than enough.

"You ready?" Hilda calls over her shoulder.

"Been born ready!"

Hilda swoops down on her wyvern with a ferocious grin, the wind blowing past her face. From behind her, she can hear the crackles of Dorothea's thunder magic, raining down upon the enemies below. It's chaos down there, and Hilda's doing her best to dodge all the arrows but she feels one hit her shoulder, and she hears Dorothea gasp too.

Even so, it doesn't stop the both of them at all.

Actually, what even stops them at all is—

"Uh, Dorothea, don't you think this is a little too much thunder magic—_Dorothea!"_

* * *

As far as lectures go, Hilda thinks this one might be the worst one she's ever gotten yet.

It's not really more of a lecture as it is a staring contest, one that Hilda feels guilty to break off. Professor Byleth's been doing nothing but standing in front of them with that sort of expression that makes Hilda think of a kicked puppy (or Marianne when she's being extra timid), and that's honestly far worse than actual lecturing they would've gotten.

Hilda blinks—okay, she's lost, and now Professor Byleth heaves a long sigh that doesn't come out through her mouth, which is like _the_ highest form of sad disappointment ever. If Hilda didn't remember what they'd done earlier, she would've felt a little bit bad. Maybe.

"I only wanted you two to scout but the both of you flew out there all by yourselves." Professor Byleth's brow draws together. "If we hadn't gotten to you in time…"

"Yeah, well, you guys did, and that stupid merchant deserved it!" Hilda shouts, and then quickly winces when she feels one of her wounds telling her to stop doing that. She's not sure which one.

"I just couldn't stand the thought of him laying a finger on Ingrid." Dorothea's eyes flash. She hadn't come out of that encounter unscathed: the ends of her hair are singed, she's limping, holding her side where there'd been an arrow, and she's missing her hat.

Professor Byleth's still frowning at them. There must be something magical about that expression their professor can make because Hilda still feels surprisingly guilty about disobeying her orders. It's sort of when she disappoints Holst and he looks at her the same way. Which means she is a little more immune to it. But only just slightly.

"Do you have anything you want to say for yourselves?" Byleth says, her soft voice so full of disappointment.

Dorothea doesn't offer anything other than a tired sigh, not willing to make excuses for herself. Hilda doesn't want to either, so she looks up. The puppy eyes won't work here, not when Byleth's still making that same exact look on them too.

So Hilda only grins and holds out a thumbs-up.

"Worth it!" she says, feeling extra proud of herself when Dorothea laughs alongside her.

* * *

And now they're stuck in the infirmary together. Professor Manuela insisted after seeing them and, well, Hilda doesn't really trust herself to get back to her room and not feel like getting up the next day. And, hey, if this keeps her out of chores and homework for a while, then she's more than happy.

"It's so _boring_ being stuck in here!" she whines not a day later. "Hey, Dorothea, feel like singing a song to pass the time?"

"If you want a song, I'll have to charge you," Dorothea says airily as she flips through the book she's reading. Hilda squints at it—oh, it's not exactly a book but a script or something. It's all worn around the edges and got some… sort of suspicious stain on the cover. Must be Professor Manuela's.

The infirmary door slams open suddenly, and Marianne comes dashing right in. Hilda's already beaming before she even knows it.

"Oh, hey, Marianne! You're—oof!" Marianne straight up tackles her, which makes some of her body hurt, and, oh, Goddess, she really hopes nothing opened back up.

Marianne's sobbing into her shoulder, her body shaking. "H-Hilda! I was… I was so… when the professor told me you were in the infirmary, I was… I was so worried… I…"

"It's gonna take way more than a few arrows and an ugly merchant to get rid of me." Hilda rubs her hands up and down Marianne's back, laughing to herself. "They should've brought more swords!"

"H-Hilda! Don't say that!"

"Nah, Marianne, you should've really seen them out there." Leonie sticks her head through the door before the rest of her body comes in. She's grinning at the both of them. "The two of you went so wild! You're gonna have to train with me sometime."

"Oh, no, possibly not me, I'm just a delicate little flower you know," Hilda says.

"And you're stuck in the infirmary because you smashed up everyone!"

Hilda waves her hand. "I was being clumsy, you know how I am."

But Leonie is already whirling on Dorothea. "And you, Dorothea! Your swordsmanship was so good! When you're feeling better, can you spar with me?! I think I could learn a few things from you!"

"Oh, well…" Dorothea's smile is decidedly polite, "perhaps when I'm feeling better then."

Leonie leaves after a while but Marianne is still there, holding her hand and looking like she's on the verge of having another breakdown. Oh, she's just too sweet for her own good sometimes, Hilda thinks.

"Hey Marianne, when you've got some spare time, could you go to my room and get my box on my dresser? If I'm gonna be stuck here, I wanna at least make some accessories."

"O-oh! Of course," Marianne quickly nods and rushes right out the door before Hilda can even blink.

"... I didn't mean you had to get it now, though."

Marianne comes back with her box, and, gosh, she's an absolute sweetheart. Hilda's going to have to make her another accessory again, even if Marianne gets a little too shy to wear them outside.

"What are you doing there?" Dorothea asks. "Making accessories?"

"Yeah, just something I do for fun," Hilda says absently, her fingers already getting to work. Dorothea doesn't ask anything else, or maybe she's realized Hilda's focusing now, which is more than fine, because Hilda's really excited for this next creation.

* * *

The next day brings surprising visitors. The door opens and Ingrid comes through, awkward and stiff. "Hello, I, ah, wanted to see how you two were," she says though by the way Hilda sees her eyes darting to Dorothea, she knows she's really here for Dorothea instead.

Dorothea smiles brightly. "Never been better. But how are you feeling? Is everything okay between you and your father?"

"Ah… yes." Ingrid nods as she comes next to Dorothea. "He heard about the suitor's unsavory advances and immediately cut off all ties. I'm glad he was able to see the light."

"Well! I'm glad too!"

"But you're asking about me when you're here in the infirmary…" Ingrid's face turns apologetic. "I'm sorry that you went through all of this for me."

"Oh, don't worry about that. He used to bother me during my opera days too. You've just given me a good chance to show him exactly what I've thought about him," Dorothea says, throwing in a wink.

"... oh."

"And I could never give up my lovely Ingrid to someone who doesn't deserve her," Dorothea continues, her voice unexpectedly fierce.

Both Hilda and Ingrid are surprised at such a bold declaration from Dorothea. At least, Hilda knows she is. She wants to look over but she's been pretending to focus on working on her accessory and trying _so_ hard not to eavesdrop, but, well, that's sort of hard when there's barely any privacy.

"O-oh." Ingrid awkwardly coughs into her hand. "But, um, anyway, you were such a great help to me, and I went through my belongings to see what I could give you to express my gratitude…"

And here, Ingrid takes out a—

Okay, even Hilda can't even pretend to not notice this, when Ingrid goes and takes out a _ring_.

It doesn't even look shabby or anything, it looks precious, with a brilliant blue gem in the middle surrounded by wings. It's a pretty ring, and maybe a little tacky, that Hilda can't possibly imagine someone like Ingrid wearing that herself, no offense Ingrid.

But on Dorothea…

"Oh, it's… it's beautiful, Ingrid." Dorothea's eyes are wide. "But, what is… what are you…"

"You might have something like this already, but in the chance you didn't… I'd like you to have this," Ingrid says, which really explains nothing of the real question both Dorothea and Hilda are dying to ask.

"Really? You're… you're just… you're just going to give this to me?"

"Yes."

"For… for what?"

Ingrid frowns slightly. "I said as a sign of my gratitude."

"You're… giving me this beautiful ring? Are you sure I can have it?"

Ingrid doesn't even hesitate to nod, smiling slightly. "Yes, of course. Please, I insist."

"Oh…" and Dorothea does take the ring now, gazing down at it. "I… I'm sorry, Ingrid, I just don't really know what to say. I mean… a ring!"

Ingrid laughs sheepishly. "I know it feels a little awkward to give this to you after everything that's happened, but I think it would be better if you had it." And here, she stands up. "I would like to stay for longer, but I promised Raphael I would train today." Her eyes meet Dorothea's, and Hilda notices her expression softening. "Thank you so much for all your help. I'll ask Mercedes to bake you some treats."

"Thank you, Ingrid, you're so wonderful," Dorothea says with a smile, and Ingrid ducks her head to say her goodbyes before quickly walking out, but not before Hilda can spot a small blush on her face.

There's… _a lot_ of things Hilda wants to say, but she doesn't even know where to start at this point. Dorothea's still looking at the ring in her palm, her other hand pushing the ring all around as if it's a toy instead. She looks kind of dreamy, and honestly, Hilda feels the same way, seeing everything played out before her.

"So…" Hilda starts, and almost laughs when Dorothea startles as if she's remembering Hilda is there too. "That's a pretty ring, don't you think so?"

"It… it is."

"Well… I don't know about you, but friends don't exactly get each other rings. Especially just as thanks, you know."

"... what are you trying to say?"

"Just thinking that maybe your chances aren't completely at zero like you think they are."

Dorothea hums but she sounds thoughtful now, fingers still playing with the ring in her hand. Hilda wonders if it'll be something she'll actually wear. It's really obvious and it'll bring attention which will invite questions, and now Hilda's wondering if Ingrid really thought this gift through. Most likely not.

"You know, we've got that ball coming up, how about asking her to give you a dance?" Hilda says.

"A dance? I have a feeling she might be more interested in the food though."

"Really? A gal like Ingrid? A pretty girl like her stuffing her face—"

Ingrid sticks her head back in. "Oh, one more thing—"

Both Dorothea and Hilda startle, yelling. Ingrid blinks at them, looking at them strangely before before she continues.

"I forgot to mention but the professor wanted me to let you know the both of you are assigned to stable duty again next week. She was going to give you guys a break but since you didn't listen to her orders…"

Both Dorothea and Hilda groan at the same time.

* * *

They're getting released from the infirmary tomorrow but Professor Manuela insists on them staying one more night to make sure they're fine. As she promised, Ingrid along with Annette, come bring them tasty pastries that Mercedes made for them, which the two of them eagerly devour (or, well, Hilda knows she's always hungry for pastries and they're so _delicious_.)

Hilda looks down at her finished accessory, a hair tie with a cute dotted ribbon. It's really simple, and Hilda could make a better one if she wanted to, but she wants to test the waters first and also finish it before they both left the infirmary. "Hey, Dorothea?"

"Yes, Hilde?" She sounds distracted, and when Hilda looks over again, she's got a different book this time, but there's tons of music notes on the page. Hilda immediately blanks out looking at it because it reminds her of when her mother tried to force her to learn an instrument because Holst did and of course that means _no thanks_ for Hilda.

"Here, catch," Hilda says, and tosses over her hair tie.

"Oh?!" Dorothea makes a valiant attempt to catch it but it lands right on her lap. That's good enough, too, Hilda thinks. Dorothea gingerly picks it up, as if it might be a dagger. "Wow! This looks so cute!"

"Thanks! It's yours now, if you wanna wear it."

"Really? You're going to… to give me this?"

"Yeah, why not?

Dorothea's surprised. "I mean… I haven't been… I…"

"Nothing makes bigger bonds than getting into the infirmary together!" Hilda pauses to think. "At least, I feel like that's how Holst made like half of his friends, anyway."

"Oh…" Dorothea's brow pulls together, like she's guilty. "I don't think I deserve this, not with the way I've been treating you."

"I always thought you were just one of those nobles who didn't want to do any work at all, comfortable in your station. I've always had to deal with those nobles my whole life."

"I mean, you're not far off the mark," Hilda says with a shrug. "If someone else can do something better than me, then what's the point of trying?"

"But you didn't have to go out and help with the merchant. We could have gone back to the Professor instead. You didn't have to… take that arrow for me."

Hilda waves her hand. "Like I said, maybe I just put in extra effort for like _one_ day, nothing big."

"I'm surprised, I thought you'd be the type to give yourself all the credit."

"I would, but not if it means I get stuck with extra work after it," Hilda says, sticking out her tongue, and Dorothea laughs. "You're laying on the flattery a little too thick."

"Oh, you know me. I know how to butter up the nobles," Dorothea says, batting her eyelashes and also making a little smile that feels like there's also something else she's not saying. Hilda... actually isn't too sure what to make of that, to be honest, given that Dorothea's directing this look her way. But Dorothea's expression changes again to something more genuine. "But what I mean to say is… I never thanked you properly for everything. So… thank you, Hilde."

Hearing the now familiar nickname makes her grin. Definitely sounds much better coming from Dorothea now than when the first time she heard it. "Oh, of course, just don't expect anything else out of me, then. Unless you want more of those accessories, then I've got you covered," Hilda says, adding a wink.

Dorothea looks down at the hair tie, admiring it as she turns it all around. Hilda's thinking maybe she should've made something to match the new ring on her finger. "I've seen some accessories on the other girls, but I never realized it was you that made them all," she says.

"They're cute, aren't they?" Hilda tries not to toot her own horn too much when it comes to her accessories but she _knows_ there's no one else out there who makes them quite like she does.

"They are," Dorothea admits, and Hilda preens at the compliment. Someone fashionable like Dorothea makes the compliment extra special, not to say that Hilda doesn't appreciate the other comments she gets too, though. "It's… it's wonderful, thank you so much for giving me one," she says, and her voice is a little quieter now, like she's still can't believe Hilda went and made a gift for her. The change in mood seems a bit weird to Hilda, until she remembers all the not very good rumors she'd heard, and how guarded Dorothea had been in the beginning.

"Well... now that we're friends, I'll make you another one. How's that sound?" Hilda finally says.

"It sounds lovely," Dorothea says as she looks at Hilda, her smile finally sincere.


End file.
